H.E. Mrs. Askalu
MenkeriosMinister of Labour
and Human Welfare of the State of Eritrea

at the

Twenty-seventh Special
Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Children

New York, 9 May 2002

Mr. President,
Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies,
Beloved Children and the Youth, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me first to express, on behalf of the President of the State of
Eritrea, Mr. Isaias Afwerki, and on my own behalf, the gratitude of my
Government to the organizers of this Special Session of the General Assembly.
I wish to congratulate the members of the Preparatory Committee and the
entire Bureau for a job well done under the chairmanship of Ambassador
Patricia Durrant of Jamaica and the indispensable guidance of Ms. Carol
Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF, and her team. My President regrets
his absence from this important session due to other pressing commitments
and I feel honoured to address the General Assembly on his behalf.

Mr. President,

Humanity's commitment to the welfare and protection of children cannot
be an issue of debate as, indeed, the children are the bearers of our collective
heritage and civilization as well as the prospective fulfillers of our
unrealized hopes and dreams. My Government recognizes, however, that the
fulfillment of these platitudes would not come by easily. It is especially
true in the impoverished and war-torn societies where children, along with
other vulnerable groups such as women and the elderly, often bear the brunt
of the burden. There is, thus, a need for special measures, both legal
and practical, to mitigate their precarious situation.

I say this from Eritrea's long experience in dealing with the plight
of children during the decades of its armed struggle for national independence.
These were also the reasons that prompted my Government to sign and ratify
the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1994 and articulate,
soon after, a comprehensive action programme in the form of the "Initial
Report on the Implementation of CRC in Eritrea".

At this special session, we have the opportunity to review our commitments
made twelve years ago and to redraw further plan of action for the good
of the children of the world.

Mr. President,

Eritreaas commitment to the well being of children has been sustained,
even at most difficult times.of war. I am proud to say the investment on
children has been one of the top national priorities. Eritrea has achieved
some progress in several aspects related to care, protection and overall
development of children, especially for those in need of special protection
measures (CNSPM).

A National Committee, Regional Committees and a Task Force consisting
of experts have been put in place to oversee the implementation of CRC
provisions for care, protection and development of children in Eritrea.
Commendable efforts have been put into effect to educate and disseminate
information concerning the rights of children throughout the nation in
different local languages. Nation-wide and regional campaigns and workshops
have been regularly conducted and the outcomes disseminated through the
national media. The CRC booklet was translated into local languages and
widely circulated to all segments of our society.

Several programmes, such as the reunification and adoption of orphans
and strengthening of community coping-mechanisms, through the provision
of micro-credit, have been some of the remarkable endeavors. Thanks to
our dedicated civil servants, UN organizations, NGOs and the people of
Eritrea for their relentless efforts in this regard.

Mr. President,

The `Say Yes for Children' campaign was a step forward in mobilizing
the participation of citizens of all walks of life in Eritrea. Indeed,
the campaign was a great success. The Eritrean people supported, through
nationally conducted opinion polls, the following three fundamental priorities
out of the ten rallying points of the Global Movement for Children (GMC):

1. Education for all children (62%);

2. Combating HIV/AIDS (58%); and

3. Caring for all children (43%).

The Government of Eritrea, thus, acting in accordance with the priorities
set by the general public, has made the necessary arrangements to disseminate
the results of the polls throughout the country in a special magazine published
for this purpose. This magazine was translated into three local languages
for wider circulation.

The following concrete steps have been taken to implement the above
expressed programmes:

. Awareness campaigns have been conducted in all regions
on `HAMSET' project aiming at prevention of HIV/AIDS, malaria and T.B.;

. Sex education has been introduced in schools and
religious places;

. HIV/AIDS Positive Citizens Association, HIV/AIDS
youth clubs and community support groups have been organized, in order
to ensure their rights, exchange ideas and expertise through public campaigns;

. Socio-psychological support and counseling have
been provided by trained social workers in communities and in camps of
internally displaced people (IDP);

. Orphans, including those from AIDS and war, have
been reunified with host families by providing financial support to ensure
their economic sustainability;

. In the area of education, steps to construct new
schools in remote villages have been initiated; teacher population has
been increased; the enrollment and retention of girls has considerably
increased; and the gender gap has been reduced; and

. In the health front, significant improvement has
been made in the Expanded Immunization Programme (EIP). Infant and maternal
mortality rates have been reduced.

In as much as they are the principal stakeholders, efforts have been
made to involve children and the youth as active partners in this process
through special activities like, children parliaments, education, skill
training and youth-to-youth programmes.

Despite all these efforts, however, some of the promises still remain
unfulfilled. There is a greater need to strengthen capacities of national
institutions and civil society organizations. There is a dearth of human
resources and funds to meet the on going and emerging undertakings such
as, refugee children, orphans, deportees and war-affected children, which
hold high priority in my country.

Mr. President,

The agenda for the next decade is clear. It should include, inter-alias

. Universalization of basic education;

. Removal of all gender-based disparities;

. Universal immunization against vaccine preventable
diseases;

. Controlling spread of HIV/AIDS infections;

. Dealing with all categories of children in need
of special protection measures;

. Providing flexibility of regular procedures of fund
disbursement in dealing with emergencies; and

. Making increased efforts in sharing information
across public institutions, civil society organizations and communities
to promote coordinated and effective response to all problems of children
affected by armed conflicts.

These efforts require funds, leadership, partnership and extended support
from the international community. It is time for the governments, UN agencies,
the private sector, NGOs, the youth and the children to act together towards
the implementation of all the provisions of the CRC and the Plan of Action
this august Assembly is about to adopt.

Meanwhile, governments must commit to take groundbreaking steps and
mobilize nation-wide support to ensure that the targeted goals and the
rallying ten points of the Global Movement for Children become realities.
Our commitments must be translated into action in order to create 'A World
fit for Children' now and the generations to come.